Homemade Fig Newtons
I grew up with a strong resentment of fig Newtons -and in fact figs in general- they represented all that we were so cruelly denied as children of a doctor who seemingly valued fiber above all else. I begged for Oreos, but the packaged cookies we got were either fig Newtons or Arrowroot cookies – yes, those flavourless oval ones with the baby on the front of the box that, designed for teething toddlers, dissolved upon contact with saliva. I reluctantly ate them anyway, since they were at least cookies. Fig Newtons though – riddled with seeds, they were what dads who wore beige cardigans with elbow patches and Wallabees ate with their tea.
I’ve since made my peace with figs, but have still never craved a fig Newton. Of course, if you consider what homemade chocolate chip cookies are to store-bought, you can imagine how much better these are than the fig Newtons of my youth. I think they were originally from 101 Cookbooks, and if memory serves, she made the filling using red wine. (You could do this, or use orange juice or apple cider, or anything fruity. Simmer with a cinnamon stick thrown in, if you like.)
I get satisfaction out of anything I manage to bake in a big slab, then cut while still warm with my pastry scraper. (Perhaps it’s because of the crispy edges that get nibbled as I cut.)
Fig Newtons
AuthorJulieFinely chop the figs (removing the tough stems) and put them into a small saucepan with the orange juice. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until it turns into a soft sort of jam. The texture will depend on the dryness of the figs - add more juice or water if need be. If the mixture seems too chunky, puree it in the food processor once it has softened. (It's tough to chop dried figs in the food processor alone - they tend to be too thick and sticky.)
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until well blended and the mixture has the texture of wet sand. Beat in the egg, molasses, ginger (if using) and vanilla. In a small bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula just until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.
When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the dough in half and roll one piece out into a rectangle about the size of your cookie sheet - this is easy to do on a piece of parchment or a Silpat baking mat, which can then be slid right onto the baking sheet. Spread the dough with the fig filling. Roll the second piece of dough out to the same size on a piece of waxed paper; lay it over the fig filling, and press it gently to seal the two together a bit. I usually roll the whole thing gently with a rolling pin, being careful that the filling doesn't spill out the sides.
Bake for about 25 minutes, until pale golden and set. Cool for about 10 minutes, then trim the edges and cut the slab into squares or rectangles with a knife, pizza wheel or pastry cutter.
Ingredients
Directions
Finely chop the figs (removing the tough stems) and put them into a small saucepan with the orange juice. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until it turns into a soft sort of jam. The texture will depend on the dryness of the figs - add more juice or water if need be. If the mixture seems too chunky, puree it in the food processor once it has softened. (It's tough to chop dried figs in the food processor alone - they tend to be too thick and sticky.)
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until well blended and the mixture has the texture of wet sand. Beat in the egg, molasses, ginger (if using) and vanilla. In a small bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula just until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.
When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the dough in half and roll one piece out into a rectangle about the size of your cookie sheet - this is easy to do on a piece of parchment or a Silpat baking mat, which can then be slid right onto the baking sheet. Spread the dough with the fig filling. Roll the second piece of dough out to the same size on a piece of waxed paper; lay it over the fig filling, and press it gently to seal the two together a bit. I usually roll the whole thing gently with a rolling pin, being careful that the filling doesn't spill out the sides.
Bake for about 25 minutes, until pale golden and set. Cool for about 10 minutes, then trim the edges and cut the slab into squares or rectangles with a knife, pizza wheel or pastry cutter.
That looks great! Mmmmm..
I didn’t like Fig Newtons as a child, either. I grew up in the north of New Zealand, and we had a big fig tree in our garden. I loved sun warmed ripe figs, and didn’t like them cooked into anything.
Now, living here, I look for fig things, and miss the sun warmed ones where the juice ran down your arm and made your hands to sticky to climb down from the tree. Your fig newtons look great, and I’ll try them.
Thank you
🙂
What lovely flavours, and they look picture perfect too with that smooth topping, and lovely filling perfectly layered 😀 Thanks for the recipe 🙂 x
Enjoying your way with words and your sense of humour.
I’ve tried preparing this delicious looking recipe! The dough comes together a bit crumbly (resembling pie crust dough). Is this correct?
I’ve got the apricot and orange version in the oven right now, and found the dough very dry and crumbly. I added another egg, then floured the parchment and dough as I rolled. Can’t wait to try these! If they’re delicious, I’m thinking to make a prune and almond extract version. P.S. I used 1 tsp dry ginger and added 1 tsp. cinnamon to my dough.
I had trouble with the dough as well. I used whole wheat flour. Is the amount of flour correct (2.5 cups in total)? I didn’t have another egg, so I added a bit more butter (about 1/4 cup). The dough was still too crumbly to roll after 2 hours in the fridge, so I pressed about 3/4 of the dough in a 9 x 13 pan, spread the fig jam over it, crumbled the rest of the dough over top, and then lightly pressed the crumbs into the jam. I baked it at 350F for just under 20 mins, and it worked perfectly. It cut easily into squares and tastes great!
I am so glad that I found your blog, I can’t wait to try these fig newtons!!